Center for Policy Research Leadership and Staff

Shannon Monnat is the Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion and director of the Center for Policy Research. She is also a professor of sociology and co-director of the Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab at Syracuse University. Monnat is a rural sociologist, demographer and population health scholar who conducts research on demographic and geographic trends and differences in heath and mortality, with a specific interest in rural health and health disparities.

Her most recent research has focused on drug use and overdose, particularly trying to understand the factors that explain demographic and geographic differences in use and overdose rates. She has published over 70 peer-reviewed academic journal articles, book chapters, research briefs and reports, and has presented her research to numerous public, academic and policy audiences, including the United Nations, the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the Aspen Institute, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy and at Congressional briefings.

Her research has been featured in several media outlets, including CNN, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic. Monnat teaches graduate courses in Demographic Processes and Health and Place and an undergraduate Introduction to Sociology course.

Katrina manages the administrative and budgetary aspects of the Center for Policy Research. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the center, including managing all nonfaculty personnel and the allocation of space and resources. Additionally, she provides post-award grant support to the center’s faculty and graduate students. 

Alyssa oversees digital communications for the Center for Policy Research (CPR) and the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health, including coordinating social media content and developing newsletters for both centers. She also manages CPR's Policy Brief Series and the Lerner Center's Population Health Research Brief Series and copyedits faculty publications. Alyssa serves as the webmaster for both CPR and Lerner, overseeing the design and maintenance of each center's website. Additionally, she coordinates the CPR Seminar Series and the What’s at Stake Panel Series.

Davor manages the submission of all faculty and student grant proposals within the Center for Policy Research. He also provides budgetary support and fiscal administration to CPR affiliated centers: The Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health, the Maxwell X Lab, and the Center for Policy Design and Governance. He additionally manages the planning and implementation of New York Camp Econometrics and the Paul Volcker Lecture in Behavioral Economics.

Candi provides computer support and maintenance, covering both hardware and software applications, as well as general technology support for CPR faculty, staff and research associates. Candi is also the liaison for Maxwell ICT research computing support.